Improved handle foe signal lantekhs



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IMPROVED HANDLE FOR SIGNAL LANTERNS.

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'lO ALL WHOM II MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, A. N. TOWNE, of the city of' Chicago, in the county of' Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and improved mode of constructing'Iiarnp Handles for railroad cars and other purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification, in which the drawing shows the lamp in connection with a part of the body of the ear, the 'red linesshowing the handle as the lamp is carried from place to place.

' The nature of my invention consists in providing a mea-ns, or by so constructing the handle of a lamp by which the lamp may be suspended or hung between two parts, by being inserted between the guard handle and thc body of a railroad car, or any other corresponding means by which the upper part oi' the handle of the lamp may be inserted, and obtain suitable bearings between two parts, which will afford the proper bearing surface, so that the lamp will hang or remain suspended parallel thereto, as shown in the drawing. '.lhe great utility `and advantage of this form of constructing lamp handles for the purpose of signal lights will be readily understoodV and appreciated by conductors, brakemen, and railroad men generally, as it does away with n. troublesome custom of using a string to tie the lamp in the position required, which takes time to fasten and unfasten. It will be seen that in no way is the peculiar' form in which I construct the handle a disadvantage or detriment to the lamp; and it will also be seen that no loss of time is required to place it in position or to take it therefrom; thus doing away with the nuisance of a string attached to the lamp guard to fasten it to its position as a signaldight, knots gettingfast and difficult to nntie, strings breaking, wet and disagreeable, besides tending to dim the light in wet nights by adding dampness to the globe of the lamp.

To enable others skilled .in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation.

I construct my improvement bysimply bending the handle A, as shown in the drawing, at a right angle, about half way between its connection with the Alamp and the bulge or upper part ot' the handle, as shown in bot-h positions of the handle in .the drawing. A shows the handle when the'glamp is in position at the rear of the car as a signal light, the upper part passing between the guard handle E and the panel or outside of the cur D. B shows the position of' the handle when used by linud'forcarryingpurposes; C the lamp, which will be observed to hang in precisely the right position, easy and free, and far vless liable' to iicker or burn unsteady than when tied firmly to the railing or guard handle by a string, as thc custom now is for this purpose in general use. This plan renders the connection with the body of the car equally, in fact more secure, for the reason that the strings are more liable to break than the handle itself, and it gives greater elasticity to the connection, easier movement to the lamp in the sudden concussione ofthe car, and hence the light will burn more steady, which is, of course, of great advantage infthe display of a signal light. D is a part of the body of the car; E, guard handle.

The operation will readily be understood by the drawing; the user merely turning his lamp handle down to a right angle with the lamp, and entering the bulge part of the handle between the guard handle and the body of the car, as shown, the facility of which and its removal will be readily understood and appreciated, and which greatly surpasses the present plan in use.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent', is'- Bending a lamp handle at or near the centre at a right angleJ in combination with a guard handle, or its equivalent, as and for the purpose set forth.

Witness my hand to this my specification upon improvement in lamp handles.

A. N. TOWNE.

Witnesses:

T. B. BROWN, J'Umus KArz. 

